From Rails Of War To Outrageous Claims - News Roundup 9th February 2011

Rumour: Gears Of War Kinect Is A Rail Shooter?

According to a new report from Kotaku, Epic Games' rumoured Kinect-enabled Gears title will be a rail shooter. A confidential source has reportedly confirmed to the site that movement will be dictated by the game rather than the player, with art assets and plot events recycled from Gears Of War 2. A leaked screenshot of the concept demo (above) also made it into the report, although its veracity has since been questioned by another "trusted source."

A trademark for Gears Of War: Exile crept onto the internet last month, sparking rumours about whether this might be the title in question. Epic have yet to comment on the situation, but have confirmed that Gears Of War 3 will not support Kinect functionality whatsoever.

Dark Souls Will Last "60 Hours"; No DLC Or Demo

More Dark Souls details have hit the internet thanks to a new interview with From Software director Hidetaka Miyazaki. During the proceedings, Miyazaki stated that a single playthrough will last in the region of 60 hours, providing substantially more content than Demon's Souls 30-40 hour run.

In a gratifying move that will please many gamers, Miyazaki also confirmed that there are no plans for DLC at launch, though a substantial content pack could become available at a later date if From Software could do "something intriguing" with the new engine. Unfortunately there also won't be a demo. [4gamer]

Dark Souls is set to release on PS3 and Xbox 360 by the end of the year, and we'll keep you up to date with the latest.

GAME Now Selling XBLA Content

GAME, the UK high street games retailer, has rolled out a six-month trial scheme for buying XBLA games and DLC over the counter. Digital content will be sold in prepaid cards, with each code carrying its own Sterling price tag instead of a Microsoft Points figure.

This may sound like a step backwards from simply downloading the DLC... but the ability to pay in cash and offset the cost with trade-ins may well provide an attractive new way of netting XBLA content. Let us know if you're excited about the scheme- and if you've used it!

Psychologist: Violent Games Fuel Sex Crimes?

If you've scrolled through today's headline article, you'll already be aware that a psychologist has made some disturbing claims linking videogames to sexual violence. As "reported" by Fox "News" in an article slamming the anticipated FPS Bulletstorm (entitled Is Bulletstorm the Worst Video Game in the World?), US Psychologist Carol Lieberman suggests that sexually explicit scenes in games can cause players to emulate sexually violent behaviour in the real world. In no uncertain terms, she places an increase in rape figures firmly at our door...whilst failing to deliver any scientific evidence to support the controversial statement.

The increase in rapes can be attributed in large part to the playing out of [sexual] scenes in video games.

If a younger kid experiences Bulletstorm's explicit language and violence, the damage could be significant. Violent video games like Bulletstorm have the potential to send the message that violence and insults with sexual innuendos are the way to handle disputes and problems.

Sexual scenes in videogames? As far as I'm aware, most of these offending cutscenes involve a little cuddling in front of a camp fire followed by a black screen. I'm sure I don't need to point out everything that's factually incorrect and borderline insulting about this statement- so I'll leave it to you.

Rather, we're genuinely shocked that a major news network would trivialise such a disgusting and horrific crime by linking it to violent games for cheap publicity. [Fox "News"]

Fox News can take a run and jump. I've been playing violent videogames for most of my life (Sad, huh?) but I'd never dream of running outside, pulling a poor sod out of their car, and kicking them in the head before riding away in my new motor. Sure, point at videogames as the problem. [sarky]There's no other medium that can drive people to such things, is there?[/sarky]

I actually agree with the 'If a younger kid experiences Bulletstorm’s explicit language and violence, the damage could be significant' statement. It's hardly an original suggestion and has fittingly been met with the same response from EA that gets issued every time this dead horse is flogged...this isn't a game for kids.

But that's a completely different issue than Lieberman's hysterical statements regarding a bond between video games and rape. To offer such an unsubstantiated opinion based on no offered evidence or experience is utterly damnable...